Blending of Low-Density Polyethylene and Poly-Lactic Acid with Maleic Anhydride as A Compatibilizer for Better Environmentally Food-Packaging Material

摘要

The common conventional food packaging materialsare using a thin layer plastic or film, which is made of a synthetic polymer, such as Low-Density Poly Ethylene (LDPE). However, the use of these polymers hasan adverse impact on the environment, because the synthetic polymersare difficult to degrade naturally. Poly-Lactic Acid (PLA) is a biodegradable polymer that can be substituted to synthetic polymers. Since LDPE and PLA have a difference in polarity, therefore the first step of research is to graft them with maleic anhydride (MAH) for increasing the properties of its miscibility. The interaction between them is confirmed by FTIR; whereas the environment issueis characterized by the water adsorption and biodegradability. The FTIR spectra indicated that there had been an interaction between LDPE and MAH and LDPE/LDPE-g-MAH/PLA blend.Increasing PLA content in the blend affected to the increasing in their water absorption and biodegradable. Poly-blend with 20% PLA content was the optimum composition for environmentally food packaging.